Girls' name · peaked in 1978
Janelle name popularity since 1925
56,777 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Janelle. Half of them were born in 1986 or earlier, so the typical Janelle is about 40 years old in 2026. Janelle peaked in 1978 as the #186 name for girls, and it ranked #801 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 56,777
- Named Janelle, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #801
- for girls in 2025 (340 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% girls
- 56,691 girls · 86 boys
- Most popular in
- Hawaii
- 2.76× its national share
Peak year is the year Janelle made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Janelle births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1979. Measured as a share of all babies, Janelle peaked in 1978.
- Fastest rise: Between 1973 and 1978, Janelle became 2.2× more common, from 1 in 2,390 baby girls to 1 in 1,110.
- Steepest fall: Between 1992 and 1997, its share of baby girls fell by 35%, from 1 in 1,720 to 1 in 2,660.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Janelle's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Janelle.
Decade by decade
Babies named Janelle in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 174 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 857 | 0 | #707 |
| 1940s | 1,499 | 0 | #618 |
| 1950s | 3,528 | 0 | #435 |
| 1960s | 5,025 | 0 | #435 |
| 1970s | 8,439 | 15 | #311 |
| 1980s | 12,571 | 66 | #198 |
| 1990s | 8,488 | 0 | #339 |
| 2000s | 6,773 | 5 | #517 |
| 2010s | 6,906 | 0 | #474 |
| 2020–25 | 2,431 | 0 | #801 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
31.4% of babies named Janelle from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Janelle is most popular
The index compares Janelle's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Janelle.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 2.76× | 461 |
| North Dakota | 2.48× | 418 |
| South Dakota | 2.22× | 378 |
| Minnesota | 1.99× | 1,942 |
| Nebraska | 1.90× | 711 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Janelle and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Janelle (this page) | 56,691 | 1978 |
| Janell | 15,627 | 1979 |
| Jannelle | 1,178 | 1981 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Janelle's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Janelle.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Janelle (1978).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data